SOLDIER. 



307 



support during' service. Down to the times of 

 Marius and Sylla, there were no mercenaries in the 

 Roman armies, and the period previous to their in- 

 troduction embraces the greatest triumphs of the 

 Roman arms the conquest of Italy, with all its 

 difficulties and dangers, the gigantic struggle with 

 Carthage, and the humiliation of the empires which 

 had grown out of the conquests of Alexander. But 

 as the avidity for conquest and plunder increased, 

 and the people and the government became more 

 and more corrupt, standing armies gradually came 

 into use, and soldiers, though enlisted from the 

 citizens, had no longer the character of citizens. 

 Marius, contrary to the ancient laws, introduced 

 the lowest rabble, which had been till then entirely 

 exempt from service, into the legions, and thus 

 changed essentially the spirit of the Roman sol- 

 diery. For now the military service became a pro- 

 fession, to which persons flocked, who were desti- 

 tute of public spirit and true patriotism, and who 

 became rather the soldiers of the general than of 

 the country. Yet important victories were still 

 gained (as those of Marius over the Cimbri and 

 Teutones, and those of Sylla over Mithridates), 

 and the armies retained, partially at least, a national 

 character. It was not till the total destruction of 

 liberty that an entire change took place in the mili- 

 tary system. Before that time, standing troops had 

 been kept for the defence of the frontiers, and the 

 preservation of tranquillity in the oppressed provin- 

 ces; but in Rome and Italy the army was obliged 

 to respect the majesty of the people and the author- 

 ity of the magistrate. Even the struggles, often 

 attended with bloodshed, which took place in the 

 comitia, and on other occasions, had been chiefly 

 confined to citizens. The soldiers of Sylla were 

 the first who shed the blood of Roman citizens 

 without shame and without punishment. These 

 outrages now became common, and the people 

 were obliged to submit to the arrogance of the 

 generals and the legions, and sometimes to the in- 

 solence of an armed rabble, until at length, after a 

 long warfare of factions, the most successful and 

 most artful general concentrated in himself the 

 whole military power, and became unlimited ruler 

 of the people and the army. From this time, there 

 were no longer, either in Rome or the provinces, 

 soldiers of a national character, but only tools of 

 the monarch. The more despotic the government 

 became, and the more the empire was assailed by 

 barbarians, the more numerous and permanent be- 

 came the standing forces. The ancient, laws, 

 obliging all citizens to serve, were forgotten, and the 

 characters of citizen and soldier became more and 

 more distinct. Mercenaries were now in request, 

 who were willing to keep the citizens in subjection, 

 for high pay and privileges of various kinds. At a 

 still later period, when the degeneracy of the peo- 

 ple was frightfully increased, barbarians were taken 

 into pay, whose interest was still more opposed to 

 that of the Roman citizens. Only in great emer- 

 gencies, forced levies of the people of the country 

 were resorted to. The emperors granted privilege 

 after privilege, and favour after favour, to these 

 pillars of their tyranny ; and the nation was divided 

 into two hostile classes, differing in interests, rela- 

 tions and rights, one of which was degraded by law, 

 and compelled to suffer every outrage which inso- 

 lence and cruelty could inflict ; the other was above 

 the law, and perpetrated with impunity every crime. 

 But even as the people trembled before the tyrants, 

 the tyrants themselves trembled before the pretorian 



guards, whom they were obliged to caress in all 

 possible ways, and from whom they suffered many 

 nsults. The just emperors, friends to the citizens, 

 as Pertinax, Alexander Severus, Balbinus, Probus, 

 Gratian, &c., were killed by the soldiery, who 

 amented the death of monsters like Caligula and 

 Commodus. At length, the divisions of these very 

 soldiers, who proclaimed emperors at pleasure, shook 

 the empire to its foundation, and the German and 

 Scythian tribes found it easy to conquer Rome, the 

 mistress of the world, whose sway extended over a 

 hundred nations, and who had at her command the 

 resources of the richest countries, and of the most 

 experienced tactics, and whose standing army was 

 three times as numerous as the forces with which, 

 in former times, she had conquered the world. Af- 

 ter the fall of Rome, the warlike spirit of the Ger- 

 mans spread over all Western Europe, and as far 

 as Northern Africa. The Germans (Germannen, 

 Wehrmanner, armed men, or men at arms), were a 

 tribe of warriors ; and war with them was generally 

 a national affair, not the exclusive concern of one 

 class. Hence, when the people had concluded on 

 war, every man capable of bearing arms was obliged 

 to march into the field. When the Germans had 

 conquered the Roman provinces, their military con- 

 stitution remained the same, though, at a later 

 period, the obligation to perform military service 

 was attached to a certain property. Those who 

 possessed less than the required amount combined 

 in greater or less numbers, to send one man into 

 the field : thus the richer part of the nation formed 

 the army. But political changes produced changes 

 in the relations of the soldiers. The conquering 

 tribe often remained in a conquered province, like 

 an army encamped in an enemy's country, separated, 

 as it were, from the natives, who were excluded, 

 partially or entirely, from political rights. A few 

 unfortunate battles were always sufficient to over- 

 turn such empires as those of the Vandals, the 

 Ostrogoths, &c.* Only when the conquered and 

 the conquerors became mixed, or the latter were 

 the most numerous, could permanent empires be 

 formed, such as that of the Franks. But, by de- 

 grees, the feudal system extinguished allodial in- 

 dependence in the Prankish and other empires. 

 The ancient custom of the Germans to fight not 

 only in the wars of the whole nation, but also in 

 the quarrels of particular leaders, gave rise to this 

 monstrous system, which has kept Europe so long 

 enchained, and has occasioned such an enormous 

 expenditure of blood. These leaders whose nume- 

 rous follo.wers had enabled them to render particular 

 services, and those nobles who had distinguished 

 themselves by military talent or valour, and, above 

 all, the king, or chief leader, received large portions 

 of the conquered country, which they again assigned 

 to their followers as fiefs. The latter bound them- 

 selves, in return, to continual fidelity, and the per- 

 formance of military service. The increasing law- 

 lessness of those times obliged the possessors of 

 small allodial estates to surrender them to the more 

 powerful lords, and re'ceive them back as fief's. (See 

 Feudal System.) Every landed estate became a 

 fief; and this had a powerful effect on the military 

 system. Wars were now carried on solely or chiefly 

 for the advantage of the prince, but not for the 

 common benefit. The old national militia gradually 

 fell into disuse, nay, was almost forgotten. The 

 kings and princes preferred the service of their 



* The Tiirks in Algiers have, till lately, presented nit 'it- 

 stance of a similar government. 



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